What's in it for me?

Category Archives: Diversity

“Why do we have to have all these different religions? Wouldn’t the world be better if there was one religion instead of all the problems caused by religious differences?”

My response to the question when the asker is a Christian is, “Whose religion would it be? Would it be yours, where the life, death on the cross, resurrection, and ascension to heaven of Jesus are guiding beliefs? Or would it be mine, in which the life and death of Jesus plays no role whatsoever?”

The conflicts are not the result of different religions.They are the result of our unwillingness to accept religions different from our own.

While I am a passionate Reform Jew, I do not believe that everyone should be Jewish.I believe that people should be what their minds and consciences call them to be. People should be free to believe what they believe and act on their beliefs as long as their actions do not harm others.

I am so fond of the Tower of Babel story because it affirms the value of diversity of both language and belief. The story is not historical but its religious truth is profound.

Before the time of the tower humanity was of one mind and one language. God thought so little of all this unity that the Eternal One created diversity by scattering the people and thereby creating different religions, languages, and cultures.

No! Religious unity should not be our goal. Rather, respect for and appreciation of honest religious differences is what will lead us to a better world.